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When electricity — whether generated from a photovoltaic cell, thin-film photovoltaic plastic sheets, a wind turbine or any other source — runs through the catalyst treated electrodes, water is very efficiently split into oxygen and hydrogen gases. It is the hydrogen gas created in this process that can be stored for use in future home energy systems or the hydrogen can be fed into hydrogen powered cars already in production today. That could mean no more $4++ per gallon gas fill ups at the local Exxon Station - rather you could fill up your hydrogen powered car for free with the sun, rather than Exxon, as your energy provider.
Read the full ScienceDaily article here
U.S. Senate Candidate for Texas Rick Noriega supports the development of alternative energy sources such as this. Noriega's opponent, Texas' incumbent Senator John Cornyn, dismisses such alternative energy research and development as "unrealistic" and "against mainstream solutions" such as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and off shore drilling -- both advocated by Senator Cornyn as priorities over alternative energy development.
It must also be noted that, like Rick Noriega, Collin County U.S. Congressional Democratic candidates Tom Daley, Candidate for the U.S. 3rd Texas Congressional District against Republican incumbent Sam Johnson and Glenn Melançon - Candidate for the U.S. 4th Texas Congressional District against Republican incumbent Ralph Hall also support alternative energy technology development. Both Sam Johnson and Ralph Hall favor the energy positions held by incumbent Senator John Cornyn -- drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and off shore drilling for carbon fossil crude oil as priorities over alternative energy development.
Experts agree that arctic and off-shore drilling would not add significantly oil flow to refineries and it would not cool gas prices at the pump. In 10 years time arctic drilling might drop crude oil prices as much as $0.75 per barrel of crude oil.
That's not to say that continued careful drilling using modern drilling technologies is necessarily a bad idea. Millions of acres of oil and gas leases in the lower 48 states sit undrilled and untapped.
Why are John McCain and other Republicans so urgently trying force the issue of arctic and off-shore drilling when so many acres of oil and gas leases sit untapped in the lower 48 states. Could it be diversionary election year politics? Or, is it something else? Multiple oil company executives did give huge contributions to Senator McCain's campaign just days after his offshore drilling change of heart. (Until very recently Senator McCain was against offshore drilling.)
Even if all the oil wells possible were being drilled today, no one should get the idea that would reduce America's dependence on foreign oil imports or reduce the price we all pay at the pump for a gallon of gasoline. Only significant investments in the development of domestically produced alternative energy technologies will significantly reduce America's dependence on foreign oil imports, improve America's national security and reduce the price we all pay for every form of energy.
All of the Republican candidates, that will appear on the Collin County Voters' ballot this fall, support continuing tax breaks to big Oil and Coal companies for projects such as Arctic and Off-Shore drilling. (read Big Oil's biggest quarter ever: $51.5B in all) These tax subsidies bleed money away from American tax payers and the Texas economy and simple add to big oil profits.
Alternative energy development, particularly like west Texas wind power generation, is already pulling much needed jobs and money back into the Texas economy. Technologies such as developed by MIT can rapidly accelerate solar and wind power investment and development in Texas. After all, anyone who has lived in Texas for very long knows well that the most abundant resources to be found in Texas are wind and sun!!!
Why aren't the Republican candidates John McCain, John Cornyn, Sam Johnson and Ralph Hall supporting alternative energy development when it can be so good for the Texas economy?
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